To support her claim, Felter-Canarelli provided a petition asking Libous to apologize for statements that she characterized as “disrespectful.”

Libous responded by stating that he believes hydraulic fracturing to be “as safe a matter as any other industry,” and that permitting decisions “should be left to the experts.” He cited geologists and scientists as being experts and explained that the process was not a legislative one, but in fact, rested in the hands of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.